The concrete is fresh, but opening date for Tacoma Link’s extension isn’t firm
Tacoma’s Hilltop streetcar extension is less than a year away from opening. Judging by all the multi-story apartment buildings going up near the route, it can’t come fast enough.
Sound Transit can’t say exactly when in 2022 the 2.4-mile extension will begin operating. It might still keep its previously announced opening date in May, but the agency is now saying a variety of issues could push that back to September.
New trolleys are behind schedule, a portion of tracks needed redesigning and underground utilities weren’t always where maps showed them, Sound Transit spokesman Scott Thompson said this week.
“None of them are huge things, but when you start stacking them on top of each other, it becomes a cumulative effect,” he said.
Along the route, 98.9 percent of the rails have been installed, Thompson said. Now, attention is focused on finishing surfaces, station construction and overhead power work. A newly expanded trolley barn and new power stations are being finished as well.
When it’s done, people will be able to ride rail from their homes in the Hilltop all the way to their jobs in Seattle using Tacoma Link and Sounder commuter trains.
Wet work
On Tuesday, a gray slurry was sliding down from the business end of a concrete truck at the intersection of Commerce and South 7th streets. A crew was working quickly to keep the mixture going where it was intended — part of a new sidewalk.
It’s not exactly Tacoma’s Promontory Point, but the intersection is still significant for the city. It’s where the existing 1.6-mile line joins with the new extension to make a 4-mile line. It’s going to take more than a golden spike to connect them. The entire streetcar line will have to shut down for about a month, Thompson said.
The 24-hour/month-long operation will begin with a relocation of underground utilities. Then, the existing single track will be replaced with two tracks. Finally, the overhead power lines will be installed and the entire system tested.
“It’s going to be one of the last things we do before we open up the project for service,” he said.
A shuttle bus service will stand-in for the trolleys during that period, Thompson said.
In the distance, trolleys were arriving every 12 minutes at the end-of-line Theater District station on Commerce Street between South 9th and 7th streets. The entire line has been rebranded as the T Line to fit Sound Transit’s new naming convention.
The $252 million project, which began in late 2018, has disrupted dozens of businesses along its route as utilities were rerouted and rails were installed. Orange cones, blocked streets and rain-soaked flaggers still populate the extension.
When it’s finished, the route will be more than just asphalt with rails. It’s bringing 11,400 feet of new curb and gutter. Some areas are getting new sidewalks. Every intersection on MLK Jr. Way is getting new ADA accessible ramps. About half of the new curbs still need to be installed, Thompson said.
The extension has led to the relocation of the Theatre District station. The framework for the station shelter is rising at its new location across from Old City Hall and near McMenamins Elks Temple and the Spanish Steps.
Six other new stations on the extension are partially complete.
Newly installed green power poles march up Commerce Street and Stadium Way as the route travels uphill toward Stadium High School. There, the poles make a costume change to blue. It signifies the Stadium District, Thompson said.
A patchwork of mostly completed poles, rails and pavement follow North 1st Street to Division Avenue and then onto MLK Jr. Way. The line ends at South 19th Street.
Transit orientated development
On Tuesday, a crane was lifting stacks of wallboard four stories high as workers carefully maneuvered them inside the window of an apartment complex overlooking People’s Park at 824 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The KOZ on N MLK Way has 156 units and 20 onsite parking spaces, according to its developer’s website. It’s scheduled to open in January.
It’s just one of several housing projects, some of which cater to students, seniors and low income residents, that could benefit from being near light rail.
Across from Wright Park and a stone’s throw from the Stadium District station is a Rush Companies’ housing project. Merrill Gardens at Wright Park will have assisted living and memory care units for 159 residents and spaces for 66 cars.
Towering above the new line on Stadium Way is a nine-story, 247-unit building at 415 St. Helens. The $64 million Osborne Construction Company development is two blocks from a new Link station at South 4th Street. It’s scheduled to open this fall.
Just below is the new Dorothy Height Apartments, a 54-unit project of the YWCA Pierce County that opened in February.
New facilities, fares, staff
The KOZ apartments touts its location on Tacoma’s “free street car line,” but there’s a catch. When that line reaches the KOZ, it will no longer be a free ride.
Since its opening in 2003 — before even Seattle had working light rail — Tacoma Link hasn’t charged a dime to passengers. That will come to an end when the Hilltop extension opens. Just how much Sound Transit will ask has yet to be decided by the agency’s board. That won’t happen until early 2022, Thompson said. Standard fares could range from $2 to $2.25.
The addition of fares reflects the costs associated with the new system, he said. Those include Tacoma Link’s new trolley barn at the start of the line near Freighthouse Square. It’s more than doubled in size. The new building soars above its predecessor and will contain staff offices.
Nearby is Tacoma’s newest glass structure. Although it looks like it could be Dale Chihuly’s garage or a modern version of Wright Park’s Seymour Conservatory, it’s meant for trolley washing. The green, tempered glass was an inexpensive building material, Thompson said.
Five new train cars being manufactured in Pennsylvania should arrive in late 2021 or early 2022, Thompson said. The new cars will be added to the existing fleet of three.
The expansion is leading to the hiring of 37 new employees, bringing the total Tacoma Link staff to 62.
